Getting a Demo EP out there?

My buddy at Phunk Junk records would listen. They’re not anything big, but they can get you on Beatport.

Getting it out there & heard are different things. A digital distributor is probably your best approach for doing a self-release & would probably run in the ballpark of $35-50 annually (it’s a recurring fee).

Having your album heard is the difficult part because that requires marketing and adverstising. This is where labels still have relevancy because they have marketing budgets and business connections. So being an unsigned artist you need to take on this advertising burden which will require hustling your EP. Even if you find an indie label to release it there’s a good chance that they don’t have a budget to market it ….basically they are just doing the adminstrative work that you could do yourself w/ a digital distributor.

My view on this is that you do the self-release and focus the majority of your energy promoting it to influential people such as labels, music blogs, etc. If you can drum up some interest you might get signed and have some marketing power behind your next release (or they’ll re-release your EP).

There is, if more than one reply that they want your tracks for release….So try one at a time! 😉

Beatport is the tricky one to get into as they are selective with labels that could upload to their service. iTunes/Amazon/Juno et rest is easier. You could even get there with little capital investment using RouteNote (they take a commission of the sales which is fine as few underground artists make much money from commercial releases, anyway.)

The trick is to get heard/listened. This is where a good label that actually works for you could make a big difference.

Well I strongly advise you not to – the reason is quite simple. Nowadays, its very easy and common place for a new producer to get his tracks released by a small indy label. Why? because there is close to zero cost involved to make a digital release. This is not the era when a label had to make sure before investing on an artist and paying huge amount of money to cut vinyls. What this means is, that if you send demos to small indy labels you are most likely to get a release. Now, if you send to more than one at a time, it will be very troublesome to explain to a label saying “yes lets go” that your tracks arent available anymore.
Another reason, is that, possibly, to whatever label you end up releasing your first EP, you wont be staying long with them – if you have already denied, then, another one, it will be hard for you to re-send another demo and be accepted.
You are of course free to act as you choose, Im just saying lots of people (including me) would consider this tactic as bad in this day and age.
As for the Beatport thing, Id advise you to not be picky for your first EP – if a label which is not on Beatport accepts your tracks go with it – build your “portfolio” so to speak, and after you got 1 or 2 released EPs, use them as “bio” to hook up with a label which is indeed on Beatport.

Just my 2 cents – and talking out of experience! 😉

Yup! of course you need to be looking for labels who already have tracks out similar to the style you compose – I think everyone does so. And yeah, the one your friend is on should do just fine for starters – as a matter of fact, my first three releases were just that, single tracks on compilations of a label.
Having already your friend signed is also some sort of an advantage, you can even tell him to send them an e-mail in the likes of “hey check this guy out” so that your demo will have an advantage over others’
😉

Any release is better than no release. If nothing else, release it yourself. No idea to putz on a song forever. Ship it and work on the next one.